HONOLULU — Mililani proved it could win a game with a sublime offensive performance in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I boys basketball semifinals against Kahuku on Tuesday.
A day later, the Trojans showed their mettle on the defensive end, snuffing out Kailua’s offense in a battle of two unbeaten teams in the OIA championship game, 43-26, at Moanalua’s gym.
“I told (our players) every night’s going to be different. That’s what they have to understand,” Mililani coach Garrett Gabriel said.
“We can play halfcourt if we have to and we can go up-tempo if we have to. … We have guys who can all dribble (and) shoot. It makes things a little easier for us in that sense. This is the first year I have this kind of depth, and it showed. It helps, and we played good teams.”
It was the first OIA boys hoops title for Mililani (13-0) since 2008 and second overall. Kailua (13-1) was denied its first title at the OIA’s top classification since 1982.
Trojans senior guard Trey Lieb sparkled with a career-best 27-point performance in the semifinals, in which he drained six 3-pointers. He struggled with his shot to a three-point outing in his encore, but he still demanded attention and his teammates picked him up.
Eight different Trojans scored, led by Creighton Ofsonka with 10 points off the bench, and guard Jackson Mayo, whom Gabriel called the team’s “unsung hero,” led the way defensively by sticking to Kailua’s top scorer Jonny Philbrick all game.
Philbrick was held to seven points as Kailua was held to a season scoring low.
“I’m always up for the challenge,” Mayo said of the task of guarding Philbrick man-to-man. “He’s shown that he can be a great player, so I had to take that challenge for the team. My teammates had my back the whole way, I knew they would be stepping up and helping.”
The senior wing thinks the OIA has talent enough to do some damage in next week’s state tournament beginning Monday.
“I don’t think the OIA gets enough respect,” Mayo said. “There’s some great teams out there – Kahuku, Kailua, they’re big-time teams. I’d love to see the OIA take out some ILH teams.”
Kailua, which eked out narrow wins in the tournament against Kalaheo and Roosevelt the previous two days, played from behind Wednesday except for a pair of ties at the outset, but kept fighting to keep within three points at halftime.
Philbrick’s deep 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter cut Mililani’s lead to 28-20, but it was answered immediately by a step-back 3 by Jayden Kipapa. That was one of just two Trojan triples for the game after they netted 10 Tuesday.
Kailua’s final push came in the form of buckets from Noa Donnelly and Brayden Unten to cut it to 32-26 with under three minutes left.
The Surfriders had to begin taking fouls and Mililani was clutch in closing it out, going 11-for-12 at the line to end the game with 11 unanswered points. Ofsonka was 6-for-6 over that stretch.
“We just couldn’t score. … Credit them, their defense was solid,” said Kailua coach Wally Marciel, who added that Mayo’s effort was “outstanding.”
The Surfriders were hurt by the absence of one of their top playmakers, senior guard Roscoe Eddins, who started the game but began to show discomfort with a wrapped knee and checked out for good a few minutes later. Marciel said he hoped to have Eddins back for the state tournament.
Donnelly led Kailua with eight points.
In the first game at Moanalua on Wednesday, Kaimuki pushed past Waipahu, 55-37, for its first OIA championship since it won the D-I title en route to the state championship in 2007. It was its first OIA title at the D-II level.
The game featured frenetic action both ways as the teams pushed the pace and pressed, and a vocal pro-Bulldogs crowd could be heard well outside the gym.
Jeremiah White scored 13 points and Kesykil Renton 10 for the Bulldogs, but Malu Cleveland supplied an all-around effort with eight points, 12 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks, according to stats compiled by ScoringLive.
Waipahu won the first quarter, 10-7, but Kaimuki took the second decisively, 16-2, to take an 11-point lead into halftime. It built the advantage to 14 points going into the final period.
“Waipahu did a great job breaking our press, and off the press they were scoring,” Kaimuki coach Greydon Espinda said. “We’re known to press, press, press, but we had to make a quick adjustment, and just make them go at the halfcourt and try to cut the court shorter. … That was the difference.”
Waipahu was led by Matthew Olaivar with 14 points and Ashton Rivera with 12 points and 12 rebounds. John Valdriz had eight steals.
The Marauders last won an OIA hoops title in 1980.
